Natalia's Story
by Kerokerachan
Summary: This is a new revised version of the story of Natalia Cousland, Grey Warden of Ferelden, and her romance with Alistair. This story is also AU.
1. Prologue

Prologue: Young Noble Life

Standing at her bedroom window, Natalia sighed heavily as she watched Fergus practicing his swordsmanship. If it were a regular day, she'd obviously down there with him, but ever since the little incident she had with one of the nobles in that last trip to Denerim, her mother has kept her locked up as punishment. Then again, she couldn't really blame her mother's anger seeing how Natalia had given the old grump a powerful right hook to the face in front of everyone, but the man did call Natalia a wench after all and she felt like that couldn't go without doing something.

Pacing back and forth, Natalia let out yet another sigh and crossed her arms in irritation. In truth, she hated being cooped up in one place and was the kind of woman that preferred being outside doing something, but she also knew that her mother would gut her if she tried to escape….Again.

Stopping as a sudden idea came to mind; Natalia ran to her personal chest and took out a thick black book. Keeping the book close to her, Natalia slowly opened her door to see if anyone was nearby and smiled when she saw that the closest anyone was at all the way down the hall. Closing the door back quietly, Natalia then walked to the center of her room and opened the book to a certain page.

After reading a couple of pages, Natalia slowly closed the book and closed her eyes for a moment, giving the look as if she was in the middle of making a small prayer. Putting the book down, Natalia put out her hand and after mumbling a couple of words under her breath, conjured up a small flame.

Yes, Natalia was using magic; something that could have her sent to the Circle of Magi. It wasn't something that was of common knowledge obviously, and not even her family knew of this. Not even Natalia herself knew she had such abilities until recently and after closely examining her family's history, she found out that the Cousland family did have magic in their blood, but the family members that were mentioned to have those abilities were in a time before even her grandfather, making it seem like said magic to have died out long ago. Obviously Natalia was an exception to this and this made her a rarity among her family, but she was in no hurry to tell anyone of this.

At some point during the beginning of learning these abilities, the thought of telling her family or the chantry occurred, but Natalia had no love for the idea of being locked up in a tower and being kept from her family. To best honest, knowing full well that keeping this a secret would make her an apostate gave Natalia pause, but she didn't really know just how powerful her magic was just yet and she wanted to test her limit before saying anything despite the heavy consequences she knew were there.

Moving the flame to and fro, Natalia gave a small smile to see how much better she was getting, only to jump when she heard a sudden knock on her door. Unfortunately, this made her lose focus and the small flame she appeared to have control of ended up bouncing all over the room, eventually hitting the rug and igniting a small fire upon it.

"Natalia, I need to speak to you. Open the door." A voice said.

Natalia instantly paled. That voice belonged to her mother. Panicking, Natalia rushed over to the fire and stomped it out, making sure she stood over the burn marks as her mother came inside.

"Natalia…? Are you alright? You look a little pale." Eleanor asked, her face full of concern.

"Hmm…? Oh yes! I'm perfectly fine! My stomach is just a bit out of sorts that's all! Is there something you needed mother?" Natalia asked, laughing nervously as she quickly changed the subject.

Raising her eyebrow a bit, Eleanor eventually shook off her earlier concern and took a seat at Natalia's desk, which made Natalia give a small sigh of relief.

"Well, I just wanted to inform you that I'm relieving you of the punishment I placed upon you earlier." Eleanor stated.

"Oh…? What brought this sudden change of mind on?" Natalia asked, obviously a bit shocked at her mother's words.

"After speaking to your father, I realized that while your actions were….Unfitting of a young noblewoman, they weren't without reason." Eleanor eventually said, giving a small smile.

For a quick instance, Natalia smiled at the mention of her father. He always did have her back whenever she and her mother ended up in disagreements and always did seem to get her out of the many sticky situations she and her quick temper would get herself into.

"I see. Well, I'm glad that you now see things from my side. It's not like I would just punch a man for no good reason mother." Natalia stated, giving another smile.

"I understand that my dear, but it's still not something a young woman of your stature should do without thinking first." Eleanor said, giving a somewhat stern look.

As she spoke, Natalia's eyebrows twitched. She hated when her mother would bring that up. Natalia knew full well of how important their family was and the heavy responsibility it held, but it was to her, their family name was just that; a name and nothing more.

"I'll… Try to keep my temper in check next time mother. I apologize once again for displaying such behavior." Natalia sighed, trying to hold back her irritation.

Smiling as she spoke, Eleanor simply placed her hand on Natalia's should and kissed her cheek before leaving out. Watching her leave, Natalia let out a heavy breath of relief as she stepped away from the burn marks on her rug and scratched the back of her head.

"Holy Maker, that was close. I wasn't sure how much longer I could stand here without losing it." Natalia mumbled, letting out one more sigh.

Looking around, Natalia grabbed one of the extra chairs in her room and placed it over the mark. It would make a good cover until she could find something else or find a new rug to replace this recently burnt one.

Now seeing that she was free to roam outside of her room, Natalia excitedly grabbed her practice armor and blades and changed into them. Knowing full well she couldn't use her magic to defend herself, Natalia decided to take on the role of training as a rogue to serve that little issue and found pleasure in doing so after finding out she had a knack for sneaking about…as well as maybe lifting a few things from people's pockets. Getting ready to run right outside, Natalia suddenly stopped and glanced at the book she used for her spells. Giving a quick thought or two, Natalia eventually grabbed it and placed it in her pack, thinking she could practice her spells after everyone left the practice fields.

"_It wouldn't hurt to learn some new spells…After all; I might have to use them someday!_" She said in thought as she ran outside.

Without realizing it however, Natalia had no idea just how right she was because she would soon use those abilities to not only save herself, but to save Ferelden itself as well.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Beginning of a Legend

Leaving out of the main hall, Natalia slowly closed the door behind her and suddenly punched the wall as she replayed the proceeding events in her head. Just like everyone else within the castle, she was knowledgeable about the sudden appearance of darkspawn and the fact that King Cailan was calling for aid from everyone he could, but what was really bothering her was that she wasn't allowed to join her father and brother. It wasn't that she didn't see it coming, but she didn't think that one of the reasons would be that she was his daughter. She knew that her father always saw her as his little girl and did everything in his power to keep her safe, but at her current skill level, Natalia would've at least liked some recognition of being able to handle herself in battle.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing bothering her. What really got her blood boiling was her father's sad excuse for a friend, Arl Rendon Howe. Her own personal opinion of the man was already terrible enough, but what really ruined her views of him was that he was just like all the other lesser noblemen in thinking that she was nothing more than a way to get into the Cousland family. To make things worse, she had this nagging feeling that Howe was up to something, but what was really annoying was that she couldn't prove it.

Knowing she couldn't stay like this forever, Natalia eventually tried putting her anger aside and put her mind to more important things as he went off to look for Fergus. She wouldn't say it out loud, but she was terribly worried about him going into war. After all, the closest Fergus ever got to war was when he had to keep her and their mother from getting into constant arguments.

Turning a corner, Natalia suddenly found herself on her bottom as she bumped into someone. Murmuring a few choice words as she got up and dusted herself off, she shook her head as she realized she had bumped into Ser Gilmore, one of her father's younger guards and a childhood friend of hers.

"I'm so sorry, my lady! Are you alright?!" He gasped.

Seeing just how obviously worried he was, Natalia gave a quick smirk. This was a prime opportunity to mess with him. Dramatically grabbing her arm, she let out a small groan of pain as the young knight's face turned pale.

"Holy Maker, I think my arm is broken! Why in the world did you think it was a smart idea for you to run around wearing that armor?!" She groaned, turning her back to him.

"O-Oh no, I'm so sorry, my lady! Don't worry; I'll go get someone to take a look at you!" He exclaimed, getting ready to run off.

However, he stopped in his tracks when Natalia suddenly grabbed his shoulder and gave him a little mischievous smile, with him letting out an irritated sigh.

"My lady…Please doesn't tell me you were playing one of your seemingly innocent jokes..." He sighed, giving a look of exasperation.

"Haha, I can't help the fact that you're so easily fooled Roderick! I figured after all the tricks I played on you during our childhood that you'd be a little more cautious!" She smiled, giving an innocent smile.

The young knight's face turned a light shade of red at hearing her speak his first name, but he quickly turned his back to her and gave a small pout.

"You're lucky I have something important to tell you Natalie, or else I'd give you a piece of my mind." He said eventually.

Watching him regain his composure, Natalia gave a small smile to hear him call her by her old nickname. Since Roderick had become a knight, things have been nothing but formal between the two and unbeknownst to him, it was making her quite uncomfortable. Then again, he should also know how Natalia hates the whole issue of titles and ranks.

"Ignoring the fact that you called me by an informal name, what exactly this important thing you have to tell me?" She asked, not wanting to waste his time.

"Well my lady… It appears that Maccon has gotten into the larder again." He said simply.

Listening to his words intently, Natalia's face became completely blank when her mabari's name was brought up. Maccon getting into the larder was hardly important and she failed to see why Roderick was sent for something so trivial.

"Um…Roderick…? Do you mind explaining as to why Maccon getting into the larder was labeled important?" She asked.

Getting ready to speak, Roderick was suddenly interrupted by the sounds of barking and dishes breaking. The two then jumped when they heard a familiar voice yell out. It belonged to Nan, the castle's cook and Natalia's former nanny. It was hearing her voice that Natalia realized why the matter was urgent; Nan and Maccon _hated _each other.

"Ah….Now I see why it was important. We had better hurry then." She sighed, getting ready to walk off.

Nodding in agreement, Roderick quickly followed after her and the two quickly reached the larder where they found two sulking elven servants and one angry Nan.

"I want that mutt out of my larder! Why is that so hard to understand?!" Nan yelled angrily.

Eyebrows slightly twitching at the sound of hearing her best friend being called a mutt, Natalia stomped up to her former nanny angrily, with Roderick quietly standing at the doorway, obviously not wanting to get involved.

"Maccon is _not_ a mutt! He's a purebred mabari and while the two of you might not get along, I will not let you insult him like that!" She exclaimed.

Nan sighed as she spoke and didn't seem surprised that Natalia was standing up for her mabari. After all, Maccon was one of few things the girl could call her own and the two have been inseparable since they were young.

"Well if you are so insistent on letting the blasted thing do what it wants, how about you go in there and get it out of there before it ruins anything else!" Nan sighed.

Giving her a somewhat irritated nod as a response, Natalia charged into the larder with Roderick following after her. A few moments later, the two came back out, looking irritated, and with Maccon sitting at his mistress's side as she suddenly pulled out a large dead rat.

"Looks like my mutt of a mabari was actually trying to help you by getting rid of these things." She said bluntly, dropping it at Nan's feet.

The old woman sighed as the two eleven servants gasped at the sight of it while Roderick let out an irritated sigh.

"My lady, you didn't have to bring one of them to her. I'm pretty sure leaving it there with the others and letting the staff clean it up would've sufficed." Roderick stated.

"Nonsense, Nan would've kept blaming Maccon if I didn't bring her proof and I refuse to have my mabari hear such slander." She exclaimed, crossing her arms.

Shaking her head, Nan had the two servants clean up the mess as she walked up to Maccon and pat it's head as her own way of apologizing.

"You always did have a passion for animals, lass… Now if only you would apply some of that passion into your noble duties and you'd be a perfect example of what a young noblewoman should be." Nan said calmly.

Narrowing her eyebrows, Natalia looked away as she spoke. Not too long ago, she had to hear her former tutor Aldous say something similar and just like now, she had to keep her temper from getting the better of her. It wasn't like she hated being a noblewoman; she just hated all of the nonsense that came along with it, including the constant lecturing she had to endure.

"…Anyways, I'm going to assume that since this whole little issue has been solved that we can go now…?" Natalia asked, trying to keep her composure.

"Of course, I'm sorry to have kept you. I'm sure you want to say goodbye to that brother of yours before he has to go." Nan stated, getting back to her work.

Leaving out of the larder, Natalia eventually stopped before the path that led to the atrium and turned to Roderick.

"Well it looks like your duty has been fulfilled, Ser Gilmore. I apologize for all that you had to go through." She suddenly said.

Blinking at the sudden formal tone she had taken, Roderick eventually gave a somewhat wry smile before speaking.

"Now all of a sudden you want to start acting like a noblewoman…? But yes, I believe my work here is done since Maccon is with you now." He stated.

Getting ready to walk back to his original post, Roderick eventually stopped and paused before turning back to Natalia, who hadn't moved.

"Although, I do have a few things I wanted to ask you about before you go off in search of your brother." He eventually said, looking a bit embarrassed.

Giving a small smile, Natalia motioned in a way for him to continue as he summoned up the nerve to speak again.

"While you were in the main hall with Arl Howe and Teyrn Cousland… I was informed that a Grey Warden was also present there and he might have asked for me." He finally stated, his tone nervous and excited at the same time.

Pausing for a moment, Natalia let her mind go back to when she was introduced to the very individual he spoke of. He went by the name of Duncan and while he seemed to be kind of quiet, he gave off a dignified air about it. He was also the only one between him, Arl Howe, and her father that would answer her questions about the darkspawn and the growing army that was gathering at Ostagar.

"You are correct. His name is Duncan and if I heard him correctly, I believe he intends to test you for recruitment." She stated.

Those very words brought a look of excitement of delight on Roderick's face, but she titled her head as he began to show a little confusion.

"Just me…? He didn't show any interest in you?" He suddenly asked.

Widening her eyes as his response, she simply shook her head and shrugged her shoulders. In all honesty, Duncan had brought her up as a potential candidate for being a Grey Warden, but she knew that wasn't going to happen due to the fact that she would have to leave her life behind, which her mother would protest and the fact that her father immediately shot down the very idea of it.

"…I don't recall him bringing my name up and I highly doubt I'd ever become a Grey Warden…Though I can't say that I don't like the idea of being one." She sighed, mumbling the last part.

Nodding his head as a response, Natalia got ready to walk off to find Fergus only to raise an eyebrow when she noticed that Roderick hadn't left.

"Um…Was there something else you wanted?" She asked, tilting her head curiously.

"Oh well um, yes…I was wondering if you spoke to this Duncan about the details of Ostagar?" He said eventually, speaking as if he was treading on a touchy subject.

Turning to him, she simply nodded as she watched Roderick lowered his gaze momentarily before speaking again.

"I ask because I'm hoping it eased your worries about your brother and the Teyrn…As well as any concerns about his majesty King Cailan." He suddenly said, his tone not wavering in the slightest.

Natalia gave a long pause as she heard the king's name mentioned. She wasn't surprised that Roderick thought she was concerned about Cailan. After all, the two had a somewhat sibling like relationship due to her family's trips to Denerim Castle and the fact they shared many heavy responsibilties due to their family's name.

"…I suppose you could say that, but I believe that my father and brother….As well as the king know what they're doing and I'll just have to keep my faith in them." She finally said, giving a reassuring smile.

"….As you say my lady." Roderick stated, bowing to her before he left.

Watching him walk away for a few moments, Natalia eventually turned around to head for the atrium, biting her lip nervously. Truthfully, she had only said that to keep Roderick from worrying about her and her true feelings of the whole situation was eating at her at a fastening pace.

"_No…I have to believe in what I said to Roderick…This uneasy feeling is just nerves….I have to believe that._" She said in thought.

Unfortunately, Natalia had no idea that very uneasy feeling was not only connected to her worries about Ostagar, but also towards what would happen to her and her family in the next few hours to come.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Cousland Massacre

Natalia headed towards the family's bedroom chambers with a somewhat conflicted look on her face as she thought back on her conversation with her mother in the atrium. It was bad enough that they argued about her wanting to join her brother and father, but then things got a bit odd when Eleanor started reminiscing about how much she had grown. Honestly, it wasn't the part about how her mother wished she would have a family of her own, but it was the she ended the conversation with telling Natalia that she loved her. If she was any other girl, she'd think her mother was simply expressing her undying love for her child, but she knew better. To her, Eleanor said it with a tone as if it would be the last time.

Reaching the door to her brother's room, Natalia shook her head as she tried getting back to reality. She was pretty sure that she was just imagining things and she didn't need to feel so worried when she said goodbye to Fergus. Putting a smile on her face, she eventually opened the door only to roll her eyes as she saw that Fergus was sweet talking Oriana again.

"Ugh, I came here to give my brother a message and to say my goodbyes, not to watch you make kissy faces." She joked, walking inside.

Hearing her voice, Fergus grinned and gave her a hug, with her groaning as he tried to spin her around.

"Hey knock it off! I'm not a kid anymore!" She sighed, struggling.

"Oh come on, you used to love this! I swear I can't do anything with you anymore without you complaining!" Fergus stated, putting her down and ruffling her hair.

Letting out another irritated sigh as she straightened her hair out, she gave a small smile when Oriana playfully hit Fergus' shoulder.

"Come now husband, Natalia is hardly a child anymore. You can't expect for her to never grow up." Oriana smiled.

"Nonsense, I still see her as the little girl who loved trying to keep up with me and always came running to mom with scrapes on her knees!" He laughed.

Oriana gave Natalia a look of sympathy as the girl punched her brother's shoulder, only making him laugh yet again as a response.

"Oh shut it, we don't have time to be walking down memory lane. You have a war to prepare for don't you?" She said, crossing her arms.

Fergus' face instantly became serious when the word "war" was brought up. Taking a good look at his sister, he eventually walked up to her and suddenly hugged her, with her eyes somewhat widening as his sudden actions.

"Hey, what are you…?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Don't call it a war sister. Wars are things that some people don't come back from and I plan on coming back. So, stop worrying." He said suddenly, stroking her hair.

Natalia silently listened to his words and for a slight moment, her eyes wavered. She hated how Fergus could see past whatever face she put on with ease, but she also knew that meant she didn't have to hide anything with him…Except for the secret she couldn't share with anyone. Simply nodding her head at him, Natalia pushed away, not wanting him to see her crying before he left.

"Yeah, I know that Fergus. Just do me a favor and come back unharmed. It wouldn't be fun to beat an injured man during sword practice."She said eventually, regaining her composure.

Grinning, Fergus nodded and ruffled her hair once again, with Oriana laughing as Natalia pushed him away.

"Haha, alright you two, that's enough. Natalia, didn't you say you had a message for Fergus?" Oriana asked.

Fixing her hair as she spoke, Natalia nodded and explained that Fergus was to go ahead as well as that Howe's forces would be late due to weather issue, which caused her brother to shake his head.

"Weather or not, you'd think that dolt's men were marching backwards." He sighed.

"Now now brother, you know how father hates it when you speak of Howe that way." Natalia smiled, patting his shoulder.

Fergus simply shrugged his shoulders, only to smile and kneel down as Oren ran up to him with the look of curiosity in his eyes.

"Father, who's going to take care of the castle while you and grandfather are away?" Oren asked.

"Well, your auntie will be doing that. She'll take real good care of you." Fergus exclaimed.

Natalia gave a somewhat uncomfortable smile. She honestly had mixed feelings about being the one to take charge of the castle because of two things. One being that she knew it was just something for her to do so she could get her mind off not being able to go and the second was that she was only in charge because everyone that was more "important" were going off.

"Uh yeah…I'll be sure to keep everyone and everything safe until they get back." She said, patting his head.

"Does that mean you won't be able to play with me while you do your job…?" He asked, casting his eyes down.

"Oh course not. You know I always have time to play with you, but just make sure I got all the boring stuff out of the way beforehand." She smiled.

Oren's eyes brightened immensely as she spoke and he excitedly nodded, only to turn around with everyone else as Bryce and Eleanor came in.

"Ah, it's good to see we caught you before you all started going you're separate ways." Bryce smiled.

"Wait a minute father….If you were going to come here in the first place then why did you send me here…?" She asked.

"Considering how you two tend to be all over the place, how could I pass up the opportunity to get us all together?" He smiled, looking very pleased with himself.

Natalia and Fergus glanced at each other as he spoke. They don't necessarily go all over the place, but it was true that the family rarely ever had moments like this.

"Come on father, that's not fair. It's not like we're avoiding you. Besides, I don't lock myself in my room at all hours like your little spitfire does." Fergus stated, smirking at Natalia at he spoke.

Instantly becoming pale, she glared daggers at him as he spoke. The hours she spent within her room were spent trying to contain her magical abilities and the last thing she wanted was her parents becoming suspicious or worried.

"Alright alright, we're not here to talk about your sister." Bryce laughed.

"Yes, we're all here to wish you well on your journey to Ostagar and our pleas for you to return safely." Eleanor stated, placing her hand on Fergus' shoulder.

"As I've told you before, I'll be fine mother. No darkspawn is going to be the end of me." Fergus said, hugging her.

"I agree. One good look at his ugly mug, mother, and the darkspawn will be running back into the Deep Roads." Natalia stated, giving a smug smile as she spoke.

Hearing those words, Fergus shot her a quick glare as Bryce let out a small laugh and Eleanor shook her head.

"Well I'm glad you two can make jokes at a time like this." Eleanor sighed.

"Yes, both of you should be a little more serious." Oriana stated with a worried tone to her voice.

Noticing the look on his wife's face, Fergus simply touched her cheek, with her smiling up at him sadly.

"Come now, love, we're simply keeping things from getting depressing. I don't want to leave knowing that everyone was either crying or closing their eyes in prayer. Just believe that I'll return home soon." He explained, with Oriana nodding her head in understanding as he spoke.

Natalia simply watched the two and gave a small smile. While she didn't like to admit it, it was somewhat nice to see a couple such as them and hoped deep down that she would find someone to share that kind of bond with.

Feeling something on her shoulder, Natalia looked to see it was Bryce, who was looking down at her with a warm smile on his face.

"I hope you come to know that kind of happiness someday. After all, your mother and I mother want more grandchildren." He smiled.

Turning a bright shade of red, Natalia quickly looked away in embarrassment. She knew her mother felt that way since she made it very clear, but had no idea that her father felt the same. Either way, she didn't think her father would say something like that out loud.

"Father, please…!" Was all she could manage to say.

"Haha, I'm sorry dear, I couldn't help it, but that's not what I came to you to speak about." He laughed.

"Oh? Was there something else…?" She asked.

"Yes, I was hoping you'd retire for the night early today. You're going to have a lot to do in the morning and I want you well rested." He stated.

A bit hesitant, Natalia simply nodded in the end. She wanted to stay with the family a bit longer before Fergus left, but she didn't want to argue with her father about it and the request was reasonable. Getting ready to head for her room, she stopped and reluctantly glanced at Bryce. She wanted to say goodbye and express her concerns about him leaving, but couldn't find the right words.

Still struggling, Natalia relaxed immediately as Bryce kissed her forehead gently and pat her head. She loved how her father could have that effect on her. It helped out many times during scary accidents during her childhood and helped calm her whenever she argued with her mother.

"Try not to worry so much, pup. Simply believe that everything will turn out fine and your worries will fade." He smiled, patting her head one last time.

Smiling and nodding, Natalia walked up to Maccon, who was patiently waiting for her, and before turning to look at her family. Somehow, seeing them made give a sad smile as an odd bittersweet feeling filled her heart. Thinking it was just her imagination; Natalia motioned Maccon to follow after her as she went to her room, completely unaware of what would happen next.

…..

Hours later, Natalia was fast asleep, only to jump up when she suddenly heard Maccon barking. Letting out a small sight, she stood up and straightened her night gown out before walking up to Maccon.

"What in the world is the matter with you…? Is something wrong..?" She asked, letting out a small yawn.

Her drowsy face slowly became serious when Maccon continued barking. This wasn't like him at all and whenever he did get like this, it was because something was wrong. Going up to her weapon rack, Natalia grabbed one of her blades and slowly crept to the door, only to have one of the servants burst into her room a panic.

"My lady, you have to run! The castle is under attack!" The servant yelled.

Obviously in shock, Natalia attempted to say something, but instead got into a battle ready stance when the servant was suddenly struck down by an arrow. Barely dodging the next one, Natalia narrowed her eyes as two men suddenly stormed into her room.

Not wanting to give them any time to attack, Natalia quickly charged ahead and slashed her blade at one, stunning one, while Maccon kept the other one at bay with his growling and snarling. Doing her best to avoid her enemies swinging blade, Natalia stumbled backwards as it made a successful hit right across her face only to angrily respond by stabbing him in the heart. Watching him eventually collapse, Natalia turned her attention to the second intruder, who was being kept back by Maccon's claws and fangs. No longer wanting to waste her time here, Natalia charged right for him and cut him down with a powerful slash across his chest.

Watching him bleed out, Natalia dropped her blade and fell to her knees. Though she was able to take down the intruders, it was her first time having to actually kill a human being and the fact that she killed two almost made her sick to her stomach. Not only that, but the cut she received stung horribly and the bleeding was getting a bit out of hand. Closing her eyes, Natalia placed her trembling hands over her face and was able to heal it with a little concentration.

Having gotten that out of the way, Natalia tried to regain her composure. Despite the fact that she was honestly scared and confused, she knew that she couldn't idly sit by knowing there could be more of those intruders around and that she would be forced to kill them as well. Forcing herself to stand up, she eventually calmed herself and hurried to her closet and changed into the leather armor her father had prepared for her. Reaching for the blade she had dropped, Natalia also picked up the blade one of the intruders had, remembering that she was better at wielding two blades in battle rather than one and headed into the hallway with Maccon right at her side.

Taking down the attackers that lurked in the hallway, Natalia ran to her parents' room, only to bump into her mother who was heading out and was battle prepared herself. Immediately hugging, Eleanor took a good look at Natalia before speaking.

"I'm so glad to see you're alright, but by the maker, Natalia, what happened to your face?" She gasped.

Natalia closed her eyes as she felt her mother's fingers trace something that ran across the middle of her nose. Apparently the cut had become a scar after she had healed it, but that was the last thing on her mind at the moment.

"Mother, it's nothing. I'm more worried about you. Did any of them get into your room?" Natalia asked.

"I was able to take down the few that got inside, but it seems that you were able to take care of the ones here." Eleanor explained.

Letting out a small sigh of relief, Natalia took a good look at the bodies and narrowed her eyes when she noticed something familiar upon their armor.

"…These are Arl Howe's men." She suddenly said, turning to her mother.

Getting a closer look herself, Eleanor gasped when she saw this herself and shook her head in confusion.

"I don't understand…Why would they do this?" She asked.

Thinking back on what Arl Howe said about his men being held back and on how odd his behavior earlier this morning was, a realization hit Natalia and it caused her very blood to seethe with rage.

"That nug humping little snake…His men were able to move perfectly fine! The traitor intends to take the castle himself!" Natalia exclaimed, her fists clenched in anger.

Looking a bit taken back, Eleanor began to see that her daughter was right and narrowed her eyes.

"That bastard…I'll cut his lying throat myself!" She managed to say.

Not wanting to wait any further, Natalia began to go off, only to stop as Eleanor grabbed her arm. She immediately noticed how pale her mother had become and the worried look on her face.

"Natalia, your father never came to bed…We have to find him!" She gasped.

Nodding in agreement, the two began to leave the family chambers, only to have Natalia stop and notice that Fergus' door was open wide. Realizing that Oriana and Oren never came out into the hallway, her face became pale and she ran towards her brothers' room.

Freezing the moment she went inside, Natalia looked in horror at the bodies of her sister-in-law and her nephew and covered her mouth the moment nausea hit her. Forcing herself to pry her eyes away from the sad sight, Eleanor eventually came in after her and fell to her knees when she saw the bodies herself and cried out in pain.

"What kind of monsters murders innocents…? Why did this have to happen to them?" She cried.

Overcoming her nausea, Natalia helped her mother stand and only shook her head, forcing the tears back.

"Mother, that man wants all us dead….But, we can't stay here, we have to have father or he might meet the same fate." She managed to say.

Simply nodding as a response, Eleanor allowed Natalia to help her walk out the door, with only the thoughts of Fergus on their mind as they left out.

Forcing themselves to forget the horrible images embedded in their minds, Natalia and Eleanor fought their way out towards the atrium, only to see that their beloved home was now almost engulfed in flames and infested with Howe's men. The very sight of it put a heavy weight on their hearts and it was hard to imagine it as the warm place it used to be merely hours ago. Turning to her daughter, Eleanor placed her hand on her shoulder before speaking.

"We need to get to your father…Can you keep going?" She asked.

"I'm fine, mother. I'm not going to stop until we find him." Natalia said quickly.

Giving her one last look, Eleanor simply nodded and they hurried past the atrium, desperate to find Bryce. Despite the many encounters they had with Howe's men, both women, with Maccon at their side, fought past them. Fortunately, they were able to save some of the servants or soldiers they came across and with every cut or bruise Natalia would receive, she was able to heal it quickly and secretly with her magic whenever she could, which wasn't often.

Heading towards the treasury, Natalia stopped in her tracks and stared at her mother, who entered in and came out hurriedly, holding something that was wrapped up.

"Mother, what are you doing? We don't have time for side trips!" She sighed, trying not to become impatient.

"Sweetheart, I want you to have this. It's one of the few things that Howe can absolutely not get his hands on!" Eleanor stated, handing it to her.

Un-wrapping it slowly, Natalia's eyes widened when she saw that it was the Cousland family blade, a treasure that was passed down from family head to family head of each generation.

"I need you to promise me that you'll keep that sword with you at all times. It needs to stay in the hands of a Cousland." Eleanor exclaimed.

Looking up at her mother, she simply nodded as she took the blade out of its sheath and gave it a quick swing. Despite its old age, the blade was light enough for her to use and strangely enough, the blade itself shone brightly in her hands.

"I won't let it out of my sight….Now let's go!" She said quickly, running off.

With Eleanor and Maccon right behind her, Natalia kicked opened the doors of the main hall, widening her eyes to see that Roderick and some of the other guards were fighting more intruders. Taking out both her original blade as well as the family blade, Natalia charged right into the fight, taking down any opponents her blades came across, with her mother backing her up using her bow and arrows, and Maccon clawing and biting any enemies that came too close.

Making sure all enemies were taken care of, Natalia quickly ran to Roderick, who hugged her tightly as he let out a small sigh of relief.

"Natalie, thank the Maker you and her ladyship are alright! I feared the bastards had gotten further into the castle!" He stated.

"Roderick, they did get through. The entire castle is in chaos…Even Oriana and Oren have…." Natalia sighed, struggling to finish the last part.

Placing his hands on her shoulders, Natalia saw that he understood what she was trying to say and simply nodded her head at him as Eleanor rushed over to him.

"Ser Gilmore, please tell us you've seen my husband!" She gasped.

"Yes, but he was injured during his attempts to help us and despite my pleas, he went on ahead to the pantry, thinking you two were there." He explained.

"Good, so that means we can on ahead and get him out of here while we still can!" Natalia exclaimed, getting ready to leave.

"No, Natalie, I have to stay here with the little men we have left and keep gate closed as long as we can for you." He suddenly said.

Natalia stopped in her tracks as he spoke. The idea of leaving him behind was out of the question, but the look on his face made it clear that there was no time to debate about it.

Seeing the conflicted look on her face, Roderick simply gave her a weary smile and hugged her once more.

"I'm sorry, but this is one adventure I don't think I can join you on…It's my duty as a knight to defend this castle…And it's my duty as a man to keep you away from any danger I can shield you from." He whispered in her ears, holding her tight.

Widening her eyes, Natalia did her best to hold back the tears that were trying their hardest to come out and simply nodded as he let her go.

"I understand….Maker watch over you, Roderick." Natalia eventually said, running off.

Watching her and the others go, Roderick simply closed his eyes as he and the other soldiers leaned up against the gate as hard as they could.

"Maker watch over us all…" He whispered.

Heading into the kitchen and opening the door to the pantry, both Natalia and Eleanor froze to see Bryce sitting on the floor, pale and holding onto his bleeding side. Looking up at the two, Bryce simply gave a weak laugh and smiled.

"There you two are…I was wondering if you were ever going to get here." He managed to say.

Both women ran up to him as he spoke and he held both of them weakly as they hugged him and looked at his wound.

"Bryce, you're bleeding. What in the world happened?" Eleanor gasped.

"Howe's men found me first…I gave them a good fight, but they managed to give me a good cut before Duncan showed up. If it wasn't for him, they would've done me in right then and there." He explained, coughing and gasping for air.

Holding onto her father, Natalia simply looked at her mother's panicked face. It was obvious that she was trying to think of some way to get him out of here.

"I can't believe he left you here in this condition! We have to get you out of here!" Eleanor yelled.

"I don't think I could manage to get anywhere with this wound…." Bryce sighed heavily.

"That's not true! We can carry you out of here and find a healer!" Natalia exclaimed, her voice filled with desperation.

Turning to her, Bryce shushed her and stroked her hair as best as he could before coughing and heaving some more.

"I'd only prove to slow you two down…With this wound; I'm nothing but a hindrance." He stated.

Shaking her head violently, Natalia eventually pressed her hands upon his wound and closed her eyes, praying she would have enough strength to heal his wound like she healed hers. Looking down at the dim light that was coming from her hands, both Eleanor and Bryce gazed in amazement. They finally understood why their daughter would sometimes close herself off from them whenever she locked herself in her room.

"Natalia…Are you….?" Eleanor gasped.

"I've been able to use magic for a while now, but I didn't know how to tell you…But, if I can just concentrate enough, I can heal father's wound! I know I can heal him!" Natalia cried.

Watching her try to summon the strength to heal his wound, Bryce's expression softened. He wasn't simply looking at a capable young woman, but he was also seeing an exhausted little girl who was desperately trying to save her father. Weakly taking her hands off of him, Bryce simply looked into Natalia's eyes and placed his hand upon her cheek.

"That's enough my dear, you've done all you can…You can't summon strength that you've exhausted by getting here. It's alright." He whispered.

Looking up at her father, Natalia's entire body trembled. The one time her magic abilities were needed ended in failure because she wasn't at a strong enough skill level. Yet despite knowing this as well as the fact that his daughter was an apostate, he still looked at her with those kind eyes. Not being able to hold back anymore, Natalia let all the tears she had been holding back out and Bryce simply held onto her as she let loose all of her emotions.

"I need to get you two out of here. Someone has to tell the king of Howe's treachery before it's too late." Bryce added, looking up at Eleanor.

"We can't just leave you here Bryce!" She yelled, desperate to get her point across.

"The castle is surrounded….I will not make it." He sighed.

As they spoke, Duncan walked in, obviously coming back from combat of his own and knelt down in front of Bryce as he helped Natalia regain her composure.

"The Teyrn is right. The castle is surrounded and if we don't leave soon, we won't be able to leave at all." Duncan stated.

"You are Duncan, correct…? The Grey Warden…?" Eleanor asked.

"Yes, your ladyship. I had feared the worst when the castle was invaded." Duncan said, turning his attention to her.

"I was able to get here alive because my daughter was with me, Maker be praised." She stated.

"I' am not surprised." Duncan said, looking at Natalia.

"Duncan, I beg of you. Take my wife and daughter to safety. I cannot let Howe have either one of them." Bryce exclaimed, placing his hand on Duncan's shoulder.

"Of course, your lordship, but I'm afraid I have to ask for something in return." Duncan stated, his tone serious and absolute.

"Name it and it's yours! Whatever it takes!" Bryce yelled.

"I came to your castle looking for a recruit….The darkspawn threat demands that I leave with one." He sighed.

Looking at Natalia, Bryce was reluctant and hesitantly nodded, only to have Natalia herself stand up, almost as if on protest.

"You can't possibly mean me….What in the world makes you think I'd be a good Grey Warden?!" She gasped.

"You fought your way to me through Howe's men and not only are you capable, but you are also gifted with magic. I think the Maker's intentions are true." Duncan stated.

Natalia simply stood there. She couldn't believe what she was hearing; she could either become a Grey Warden and leave her life behind her or stay with her family and die by a traitor's hand.

"Natalia, you have to do this for yourself and for Ferelden. I refuse to hand you over to Howe and I'll be damned if I allow the Circle of Magi lock you away." Bryce stated.

Turning to her father, Natalia still looked a bit hesitant, only to have Maccon walk up to her and nudge her hand. Looking down to him, Natalia saw that he was whining and didn't like the idea of her dying either. Patting his head, Natalia eventually looked at Duncan and nodded her head.

"Fine…I'll join your order." She stated.

Duncan simply nodded at her as she spoke while Eleanor came up to her husband and looked at him questioningly.

"Bryce, are you sure….?" Eleanor asked.

"Our daughter will not die by that traitors' hand. She will become a legend and make her mark on the world. Of that I' am certain." He explained.

Staring at him and pausing for a moment, Eleanor turned Natalia with a new determination in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, I want you to go with Duncan. I'm staying here with your father." She suddenly said.

Shocked by her words, Natalia almost began to protest, only to stop herself as she saw that her mother would not be persuaded to do otherwise and Bryce obviously felt the same as he only placed his hand on his wife's shoulder as a response.

"I will do everything I can to keep those bastards from following you….But you promise me that you'll leave and the idea of coming back will never cross your mind." Eleanor said, placing her hand on her daughter's shoulder.

Hugging her daughter close as her only response was a nod, she looked up at her daughter tearfully as she and Duncan stood up.

"Natalia, find your brother and warn him of Howe's treachery. Become a Grey Warden, do what is right, and know that you and your brother do us proud. But most of all, know that we both love you more than anything else in this world." Bryce stated.

Nodding her head, Natalia turned her head as she heard the castle gate breaking open, only to have Duncan and Maccon pull her towards the exit. Knowing that she would never see them again, Natalia glanced at her parents once last time, her eyes swelling with tears as she finally pushed herself to run from the very place she once knew as home and into a world she barely knew, not knowing that very world would depend on her to save it.


End file.
